Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Real Jewish Brides: Orli on the Upside of Postponement

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Orli will be marrying Ben on 30th May 2021 at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, UK. Click here to read all Orli’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Orli and Ben met on Jswipe. (2) Although their venue, the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, couldn’t be more quintessentially London, Orli and Ben are going for a countryside feel. (3) Orli is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

2020 the year of our wedding. At least that was what we had thought…

Looking back to the beginning of the year, I had imagined exactly how the year was going to pan out. I knew when I had to do each task with wedding planning and how every aspect of our wedding would look. Never could I have imagined that it would not be going ahead due to a pandemic. 

Everyone kept saying to us was that it would be fine, it was totally unprecedented, there was nothing we could do but wait, and have we’d have nothing to worry about because September would be absolutely fine. So, that’s exactly what we did. We patiently waited and then we waited a little longer. The more we waited the more we realised the importance of what we wanted out of our wedding and how we wanted to be surrounded by the people closest to us and not having any restrictions on who we could hug. 

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A Monique Lhuillier Bride for an Autumnal Luxe Jewish Wedding at Cipriani 42nd Street, Manhattan, NY, USA

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Julia and Max, Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, NY
Okay, HOW incredible is this tree chuppah dreamed up by Julia and Max for their New York Jewish wedding? Despite getting married smack dab in the heart of Manhattan, the couple, both of whom work in finance, love autumn in New York (who doesn’t?) and wanted to bring the feel of the city’s most beautiful season to their decidedly indoor affair.

And they really, really did, through the creative use of lots and lots of gorgeous indoor trees decked out with those signature autumn leaves. That’s where the chuppah comes in – and is it ever a stunner! – but the autumn tree effect extended to the couple’s wonderful centerpieces as well. The overall feel was totally magical – almost like an indoor walk through Central Park on a beautiful October day. Don’t miss Andrew Henderson’s beautiful photos of the day.

And as if that weren’t enough NYC fabulousness for one wedding, we’re also smitten with Julia and Max’s adorable invitations by Bella Figura, featuring whimsical sketches of classic NYC icons – like a subway train pulling away with a “Just Married” sign! Too cute!

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave it to the bride – who looked ravishing in Monique Lhuillier – to fill you in on the details…

Julia and Max, Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, NY Julia and Max, Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, NY Julia and Max, Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, NY Julia and Max, Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, NY Julia and Max, Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, NY
How we met

Julia, the bride:  Max and I met over a summer internship at Morgan Stanley while still in college. The two of us were alphabetically seated next to each other during a week of training in Manhattan, and immediately thought the other was special. Even though we had planned to work on different coasts post-graduation, we made our relationship work long distance. A few years later, Max joined me in California where we’ve now been living together for 4 years.  

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Everything You Need to Know about Jewish Genetic Carrier Screening {with JScreen}

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If you’re thinking of starting a family in the next few years, you might have heard about genetic carrier screening. You may even have considered getting screened yourself. But it can be hard to know where to start. The process can seem intimidating, expensive, and scary – but it doesn’t have to be any of those things. Knowing where you stand genetic disease-wise – and what your options are going forward if it turns out you are a carrier – is actually really empowering!
 
That’s why I’m so excited to tell you that this Wednesday, 22 July, at 9:00 am PDT / 12:00 pm EDT / 5:00 pm GDT, I’ll be chatting on Facebook with Hillary Kener Regelman, Director of National Outreach at JScreen, a US-based not-for-profit at-home education and carrier screening program for Jewish genetic diseases.
 
JScreen‘s mission is to give individuals and families easy access to information convenient home testing (so you can get the process started even in lockdown) at a reasonable price point. Screening for over 200 genetic diseases – including those that are commonly found in Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi Jewish populations – is performed by a certified laboratory and results are reviewed and reported to participants by genetic counselors, so if it turns out you are a carrier for a disease, your counselor will be there to talk you through the options (and there ARE options!).
 
Hillary will be addressing a range of topics including the following:
  • What is genetic carrier screening?
  • Who should consider genetic carrier screening?
  • What diseases does JScreen test for?
  • How accurate are the results?
  • Is it worth testing through JScreen if I’ve already done genetic carrier screening?
  • How much does JScreen cost? How does it work with insurance?
  • How does JScreen’s process work?
  • What are the next steps if a couple finds out they are carriers for a disease?

If you decide to go forward with genetic testing through JScreen, you’ll also be eligible for an $18 discount as a Smashing The Glass reader – just use the code “JScreenAtHome”

While JScreen only covers testing in the United States, this Facebook Live will include general information about genetic screening that’s relevant to individuals and couples anywhere in the world.

Hillary will be answering all your questions live, so if there’s anything you want to know about Jewish genetic screening in general or JScreen’s offerings in particular, ask away!

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A Jesus Peiro Bride for an Oceanside Destination Jewish Wedding with a Carrot Bouquet at Cochav Ha Yam, Caesarea Israel

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Jenna-and-Adrian-Cochav-Ha-Yam-Israel

Here at Team STG, we’re no strangers to cool and unusual bridal bouquets. But just when we think we’ve seen it all, something totally new comes along. Like beautiful London-based bride Jenna’s carrot bouquet in today’s gorgeous Jewish wedding. Jenna’s a nutritionist, so it’s only fitting that she’d want to incorporate some fruit and veg into her breathtaking destination wedding to Adrian, a management consultant.

Although Jenna had planned on including some edible florals into her day – the table decorations included lemons and limes – the carrot bouquet started out as a jokey surprise from the bride’s mother, who figured she’d take a few pictures and be done with it. But turns out Jenna loved it so much she opted to carry it down the aisle – and we are so glad she did! You’ve GOT to check it out in Ronen Boidek’s exquisite photos.

And speaking of exquisite – how much do we love Jenna’s Jesus Peiro gown, which she found at beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Morgan Davies Bridal in Farringdon, London. Jenna knew she wanted to wear something ultra-memorable for her big day, and for that you can’t do much better than Jesus Peiro’s statement-making modern styles.

Take it away, Jenna!

Jenna-and-Adrian-Cochav-Ha-Yam-IsraelJenna-and-Adrian-Cochav-Ha-Yam-IsraelJenna-and-Adrian-Cochav-Ha-Yam-IsraelJenna-and-Adrian-Cochav-Ha-Yam-Israel
How we Met

Jenna, the bride: We met at university. We ended up living together with a group of our friends and things began to blossom. We were actually friends for about 3 years before that though!

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A Love Letter to Italy: Jewish Wedding Inspo from a Beloved Destination Hit Hard by COVID-19 {with La Fete}

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Italy is one of the most beloved Jewish wedding destinations among #STGbrides and grooms – and there’s no wonder why. Between the landscape, the sunlight, and the food, this is a corner of the world like no other.

Sadly, it’s also one of the areas hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout March and April, the world looked on in horror as staggering death rates rocked the northern part of the country, with the pandemic’s epicenter squarely in the northern region of Lombardy.

Our hearts went out to our Italian friends and beloved #STGvendors, and we wished we could do more to support the wonderful Italian wedding community, who have opened their hearts to so many wonderful Smashing The Glass couples over the years.

So when international luxury wedding planner and #STGvendor La Fête let us know they’d about a gorgeous Jewish wedding-themed styled shoot they’d worked on in Tuscany, we couldn’t wait to feature it.Continue ReadingContinue Reading